Chapter Seven

                                    

                                          
I raise my eyebrows in total and utter shock, "Kill? Is that legal?"
                          
"Shh, Vee. We're in public, you can't just shout stuff like that." Ian look around nervously as if some of the workers are here, but continues in a quiet voice, "Of course it's not legal, it's murder." 
                          
I look into his eyes, waiting for him to carry on, but he doesn't.
                          
"Aren't you going to explain?" 
                          
 "You want me to go on?" He asks. 
                          
"No actually, not at all. I'd rather we talk about puppies and breadsticks- the things that make the world go round. Of course i want you to continue!" I shout. 
                          
"Listen, I was roaming the city on the first day of the game, and ended up where the game was headquartered temporarily. I heard someone crying from behind the building in the back alley, so i went to check it out. Some of those guys were back there with another person. They were talking about how you can't break the rules and run, they'll always find out. Soon as I knew it they shot the guy then dragged his body away. That's when I took off running." 
                          
My eyes go wide at his story, "What if they start killing other players?" 
                          
Ian shakes his head, "They won't do that." 
                          
"Why not?" I question.
                          
"They'd become too conspicuous... Too many people would find out.. Too many liabilities.." 
                          
I nod stiffly at what he's saying. My eyes are still wide as I watch the ice cubes in Ian's drink melt.. I watch the sweat fall down the outside of the glass, pooling around the base on the bar. 
                          
"Vee." 
                          
I hum in response, but don't look up. My eyes stay latched onto his glass. Could I become a liability now? Am I a threat to the game? Could they find out I know somehow and-
                          
"Look at me." Ian says stiffly. 
                          
I pull my eyes off the glass at look up to him. 
                          
"You're not going to get hurt... Don't worry so much." 
                          
"But-" Ian cuts me off from the rest of my sentence, "It's a fun game. It's made so people can have fun. They have rules like all other games. Follow them, and you will be fine." 
                          
"What if I accidently break a rule I don't know about and they-" He cuts me off once again, "I won't let you break any rules. We're a team now, remember? We're in this together."
                          
I take a deep breath then ask another question that just had to pop into my head, "But what about winning? Can't there only be one winner?" 
                          
"We're a team. You can win with two people-max on a team." Ian tells me.
                          
I nod, approving his answer. 
                          
"Vee, I think you need some fresh air." Ian says standing up. 
                          
I nod, "That's a good idea." 
                          
I follow him out a different path than the one we came in. As we walk to the exit people slap Ian on the back and say, 'good luck, have fun, I'm rooting for you-' Stuff like that. Once we get into the thick aired, damp hallway I look over to Ian with a small smile, "Those people really like you." 
                          
Ian shrugs, "I gave them a place to be, and not have to worry about their backgrounds or choices they made... a place people won't know who they are. That gives them something to root for." 
                          
We walk for awhile then up a flight of enclosed, grated stairs... then another.. and then another. It resembles the look of a parking garage staircase, minus the windows. Once we hit the fifth flight I look over to Ian, "How far down were we?" 
                          
Ian smirks, "Not all that far..."
                          
"Then why are we going up so many stairs?" I say getting out of breath.. I know, I know- I need to get into better shape, you don't have to tell me that. 
                          
He chuckles, "Because now, we're going up." 
                          
"I know we're going up, Ian. Hence the fact we're climbing up the stairs." 
                          
"I suppose you'll have to wait and see." Ian tells me with a smile.
                          
I huff, but don't complain. We climb the stairs for what feels like an eternity, until we finally reach a door Ian says we can exit out of. My legs are numb at this point, so when he pulls the door open for me, I nearly fall on my face because I am no longer stepping up- I'm just walking. All I see is cement. It looks like the top of a building. Cement walls around four feet high, line the space with another seven feet of fence on top of the wall. Barbed wire is draped around the top of the fence. 
                          
I assume it's to keep from any.. casualties.
                          
"Come over here." Ian tells me, as he walks to the ledge. 
                          
I follow him to the side and look over. I raise my eyebrows at the sight, "How many flights did we climb up?"
                          
Ian looks over to me with a smile, "Sixty-nine. Through a service staircase that's no longer open, due to faulty stairs." 
                          
"Are you kidding me?" 
                          
"Nope." He pops the 'p' in nope. 
                          
I lightly punch him in the arm, "You made me walk up sixty-nine flights of stairs?!" 
                          
He fakes the pain of my punch by stumbling to the side, and rubbing his arm, "Violence is not needed, and yes I did. Nevertheless, you can take time to relax, and enjoy the amazing view." 
                          
I huff and look out at the city, he's right.. It is an amazing view. The streets down below are illuminated by the lights of oncoming traffic, and nearby buildings. The people look quite small from such a high point as they stride across the sidewalks. 
                          
I yawn, feeling a wave of tiredness sweep over me, "How are we supposed to stay awake for three days?" 
                          
Ian looks over at me with a smile, "That drink I had- back at the pit, it was about as caffeinated as six cans of Rockstar."
                          
"Isn't that, like really bad for you?" I question skeptically. 
                          
Ian shrugs, but then starts laughing after a moment of silence, "This stuff is so bad for you. If you drink like five cups of this stuff- you could end up getting your stomach pumped." 
                          
I raise my eyebrows lazily, "And why is that so funny?" 
                          
"I have no idea... I'm just hyped up because of it. It will keep me away for at least two days... I grabbed a bottle for you." Ian puts his hand inside his jacket and pulls out a small bottle of the black, sparkling death liquid. He hands it to me.
                          
I crack open the top and take a whiff. I cough at the smell, "I think my nostril hairs just burnt off into the drink."
                          
Ian laughs. I smile, not really because it's all that funny, but because he's laughing. His deep, husky laugh makes me smile. It's soothing to my ears. 
                          
Ian looks over to me with a small smile. Something jumps in the pit of my stomach, making it difficult for me to breathe from the way he's looking at me. "You're much more fun to be around when you let loose."  He says. 
                          
"Uh.. I won't be letting anything loose anytime soon." I say a bit pessimistic. 
                          
He laughs again, "No Vee. I mean you're more enjoyable when you're relaxed- when you're not as stiff." 
                          
I raise my eyebrows, "Stiff? What do you mean by stiff?" 
                          
Ian starts to smirk as he gently bumps his arms against mine, "You know.."
                          
I cross my arms over my chest, "No, actually I don't know." 
                          
Ian's phone buzzes, "Ah, well neither do I...." He says avoiding the question, and pulling out his phone. My butt begins to buzz. I reach my hand back to pull out my phone. 
                          
"Nice save." I mumble as I look at my phone screen.
                          
Team Dare: Try these on.
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